I have been carving seriously since around 2009, at least in the caricature style. It seems I have been on a carving journey most of my life. I watched in awe as my mother’s father carved monkey faces out of peach pits and made keychains out of them. Later in my childhood, I watched carvers in my great uncle’s store in Alabama create all sorts of things as they “whittled”.
I started carving initially as a Boy Scout leader, sitting around the campfire with my Scouts and making neckerchief slides and telling stories. A Scouter by the name of Beano got me interested in carving faces, as he gave me one of his prized bolo ties. I have since carved hundreds of bolo ties and neckerchief slides and still enjoy making new ones.
But my carving journey took a great turn when my wife gifted me a carving class with Cleve Taylor. I was HOOKED! Shortly after, I joined the Idaho Woodcarver’s Guild in Boise, and have been carving caricatures ever since. The members of the IWG have become my mentors and my good friends. Imagine learning caricature carving from the likes of Cleve Taylor, Vic Otto, Gene Fuller and Ryan Olsen, all members of the Caricature Carvers of America. Our club also has many great carvers that have taught me along the way.
I now teach classes at the Woodcraft store in Boise, hold classes for the Boise Community Education program and work with home school groups throughout our area, teaching beginner and intermediate carvers how to create fun and interesting creations.